AUTHOR/SCREENWRITER/POSITIVE VIBE ENTHUSIAST

Writing Advice

I happened to come across a great article, which is really an excerpt from the new book Getting There: A Book of Mentors by Gillian Zoe Segal. It was written by Matthew Weiner, the creator of Mad Men. He talks about some of the ups and downs that he encountered during his career–and even before his career got started–and the number of rejections he received while trying to get Mad Men made. I highly recommend checking out the article and the book. Here is one of my favorite lines, which is incredibly relevant for anyone just getting started on a creative path:

Artists frequently hide the steps that lead to their masterpieces. They want their work and their career to be shrouded in the mystery that it all came out at once. It’s called hiding the brushstrokes, and those who do it are doing a disservice to people who admire their work and seek to emulate them. If you don’t get to see the notes, the rewrites, and the steps, it’s easy to look at a finished product and be under the illusion that it just came pouring out of someone’s head like that. People who are young, or still struggling, can get easily discouraged, because they can’t do it like they thought it was done.